


Wineberry Pastries

by CondensationOnGlass



Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Gen, Light-Hearted, Sickfic, feverfic, friend fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-26 20:04:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10793799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CondensationOnGlass/pseuds/CondensationOnGlass
Summary: Tumblr Prompt fic.Natsume and his weak immune system, but despite his friends shaking their heads at him, he tries to power through to hold on to the tentative bonds he has made. A little treat for his friends is worth anything to him.or, the fic where Tanuma gave Natsume a fever and Natsume ignores it to keep his friends smiling.





	Wineberry Pastries

**Author's Note:**

> itsasign said:
> 
> “That’s the third time you’ve stumbled in the last ten minutes!” — Nishimura says to Natsume, whose face is pale with only two red spots dotting his cheeks. (I just found your AO3 so excuse me XD You write for Natsume Yuujinchou bless you ♥)  
> This has so much potental to be adorable, I really hope I got at least something going right.
> 
> Thanks for sending a prompt! and I think its the first official Natsume one! :0

“Oi, Natsume!” Nishimura shouted across the forest path. Natsume turned, his vision spinning slightly to meet eyes with his friend. “That’s the third time you’ve stumbled in the last ten minutes! You aren’t getting sick again are you?”

“I think my shoe laces are untied,” Natsume gave that half smile of his. He looked embarrassed, color high on his cheeks and even dusting his ears. Nishimura sighed dramatically and Kitamoto gave him a whap about his head. From where he stood, Natsume could hear the gentle scolding about not embarrassing friends.

 

“Tie them up and come over here,” Taki called to him, her head popping up above the gentle slope of a hill on the other side of the path. “There are huge bushes with wineberries over here!”

“I’ll be right there,” Natsume stooped, he held his hand out to a small forest spirit standing near his foot. He has startled it and it had darted out and flitted between his feet screeching nonsense at him. Perhaps it made sense, but from up at his full height, and with his head swimming as it was, it was hard to understand. He whispered down to it, “I am sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. Please be careful, I’m going to leave you to your place now.”

Natsume shook his head, words were harder to place right now. He felt like he wasn’t getting his message across. The small spirit lifted its leafy parasol and chirped up at him some more, shaking a small fist. Natsume tapped his finger to the acorn top hat it wore and brushed his finger down the front of its petal-scaled tunic.

“I am really sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you. Its not safe near the paths, though.” He gave his laces a tug before straightening after the spirit seemed to calm itself. It gave a small huff and tugged at its clothing before dispersing into a small plume of soft peach and violet petals and blowing further into the forest.

“Na-tsu-me!” Nishimura called up to him in a sing-song voice, “Hurry it up! We’ll pick the bush clean by the time you get here.” Natsume started forward, his legs felt weak, but they’d sit soon. He ran to the edge of the slope and let his momentum slide him down the dewy grass.

“I’m here,” He panted lightly, “Don’t eat them all before we get back! I promised Touko-san I’d bring some back for pastries.” He frowned and plucked the berry Nishimura was about to eat from his fingers.

“Hey! Taki! Kitamoto! Look at this-!” Natsume popped the berry into his own mouth and half smiled, “Why-! You- Natsume, you’re too cheeky sometimes.”

“That’s right,” Taki spun with a flourish of excitement, “You said she would let us help bake if we brought some back. We should make sure we get enough to make very sweet tarts!”

“No, no, no-“ Kitamoto wagged his finger, “Berries are way better toppings for cakes. A light cake.”

Natsume chuckled, he felt a chill wash over him and shuddered with it. He was happy to have his classmates enjoying themselves in his presence, a little chill or exhaustion wouldn’t be enough to get in the way.

“What do you think, Natsume?” Taki paused in her pilfering of the little red berries from the bush. “Tarts or cake?”

“What does Tanuma like more?” He paused, touching a hand to his face as he considered. Tanuma had to sit out on the expedition today, he had caught a fever and was still trying to shake it. Touko-san suggested making the boy something sweet to bring his spirits up as he was starting to get his appetite back with getting better.

“He likes cakes,” Kitamoto piped up. He slung an arm around Nishimura’s neck, “Right?”

“Cakes, for sure. Pudding too.” Nishimura nodded. He rubbed at his nose to hide his sly smile. Natsume shook his head at everyone trying to secure their favorite treat as the answer.

“Maybe a sweet bun would be best,” Natsume knelt with a wave of dizziness, he started picking some of the lower berries to avoid suspicion. “He is recovering, something too sweet might not sit well. It would be more responsible.”

“Always responsible with you,” Nishimura shrugged, “But I guess it _is_ up to Touko-san. She is the one running the show- I have no idea how to bake anything.”

“Aaah, good point,” Kitamoto crossed his arms, “I really only know how to make pancakes. And that’s not really baking either.”

“Its her kitchen, so of course she would be in charge,” Taki knelt down next to Natsume to help pick some more. They had a nice little pile of berries in a fair-sized container she put down between them. A second container with significantly less was a few feet away at the other side of the bush.

Natsume nodded. He felt his mind go blank. The conversation buzzed around him, and he let himself get lost in picking the ripe little fruits from the branches. He felt the warmth in his face and at the back of his neck and realized he probably caught the fever off of Tanuma.

“Natsume?” Taki’s voice finally broke his haze with a giggle, “Come on, I think we have enough now. That’s near overflowing.”

“Ah, sorry.” He stood up and wavered a moment before stumbling back a step.

“Legs asleep?” Kitamoto joked. Natsume gave a noncommittal hum in response.

“Natsume?” Nishimura grabbed onto Natsume’s elbow to steady him, “you okay?” He frowned.

“Sorry,” Natsume rubbed a hand across his eyes. He felt so exhausted all at once and felt someone pull the container from his loosening grip. “I feel a little dizzy.”

“Aah,” Nishimura pressed the back of his berry stained fingers to Natsume’s forehead, “You’re warm!” Natsume could only give a lopsided smile to the audible frown in Nishimura’s voice.

“What?” Taki sounded concerned.

“I’m okay, I stood too fast-“

“No, you’ve caught a fever too.” Nishimura tugged on his elbow gently, “come on. Lets get back.”

 

Touko was worried when Natsume’s friends were the ones to call out on entering. She entered the hall, finding them guiding him to the kitchen table. She followed and fretted over him- he had gone so pale on their walk back and it made his red flush stand out all the more. He looked sunburned, and the cloudy sky outside contrasted so much with that idea it was nearly heartbreaking. Natsume had lost his energy and just rested his head on his folded arms at the table.

Taki got a glass of water for him, while Touko raided the cupboard for the thermometer and offered apologies. Nishimura reassured her it was fine, they should be sorry for keeping him out so long in this state. Kitamoto just stood by Natsume, rubbing his hand up and down the other boy’s bent back as he rested against the table. Natsume insisted, as slurred by exhaustion as it was, that they should all bake anyway.

The others decided they could compromise, and Natsume found himself resting on the sofa in the dim living room while the sounds of people busy in the kitchen drifted around him. Touko made sure he put on an extra pair of socks and brought down one of the comforters from upstairs to wrap around him while he dozed. The warm scent of fresh pastries woke him up after a while, and Taki was just moving to sit between Nishimura and Kitamoto at the other side of the low coffee table. She had placed a plate in front of him with a still-warm pastry on it.

“It should be cool enough to eat now, if you’re feeling up to it.” There was a glass of water and some cold and flu tablets beside Natsume’s plate as well. He nodded, but stayed where he was, sleepily watching his friends have a hushed conversation around him.

Natsume realized he had dozed off again when he heard them say their goodbyes, and thank Touko for lending her kitchen and help to bake the treats. They left, promising to take Tanuma some of the pastries before heading home, and to please let Natsume know they hoped he would feel better soon.

He blinked his eyes open when Touko ghosted her hand under his bangs to feel his forehead, and she apologized. Natsume hummed, he felt too warm and comfortable to do much else.


End file.
